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Endogenous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released either through everyday metabolic activity, or by diseases in the body.

Once created, they travel into the blood and are released in urine or breath.

In addition to detecting volatile compounds in the breath, the firm said the sensor could be used to identify compounds released by rotting food

Some compounds, including carbon for instance, are released naturally.

BoydSense has therefore developed software that can identify at which point the level of a gas or compound is beyond what is considered normal.

It uses predictive algorithms to then convert the data so that patients and doctors can understand what the results mean.

It is hoped that complex processing will prevent needless worry or give a false reading that suggests they are ill.

If the sensor is added to a smartphone, for example, a patient could record their breath and the results could be sent to their doctor automatically.

In particular, the sensors build on current breath gas analysers that are used to detect early signs of diabetes and even lung cancer.

In addition to detecting volatile compounds in the breath, Mr Thuillier said the sensor could be used to identify compounds released by rotting food.

MAILONLINE'S DEMO OF THE SENSOR

In the MailOnline demo, the BoydSense sensor was able to detect an orange within 30 seconds

BoydSense’s boss Bruno Thuillier gave MailOnline a demo of the technology at Mobile World Congress.

The current sensor is a prototype and syncs with a smartphone via Bluetooth - although Mr Thuillier hopes future models will be embedded into the phones themselves.

It takes around a minute to normalise and stabilise, a process needed to ensure that any readings are not contaminated by previous ‘sniffs’. This process is expected to be much faster on a finalised version, however.

For the demo, the sensor is then placed inside a jar containing molecules released by oranges.

Within about 30 seconds the sensor beeped to say it had recognised the molecules and a picture of an orange appeared on the connected smartphone.

This was a simplified way of demonstrating its capabilities, but Mr Thuillier explained that the compounds released by oranges and vanilla - another jar in the demo - were complex enough to show its potential.

If attached to a smartphone, the sensor could be placed in a fridge or cupboard and detect if chicken is nearing its best-before date, or if fruit and vegetables are about to turn.

Mr Thuillier said: ‘I am excited to help lead in the creation of the first multi-bio sensing platform that detects and analyses biosignatures anywhere, anytime.

This platform will improve the way consumers manage their wellness. BoydSense aims to be the world leader in solutions and services that enable and transform the way people gather and manage their biosignature analytics.’